How to Be a Tax Fraud Lawyer

Any person or entity—whether a company or individual—can find him or itself the target of the IRS.

A tax fraud attorney represents clients accused of or under investigation for sales tax fraud, tax evasion or failure to file tax returns, failute to pay employees’ payroll withholding tax, filing false returns, failing to report offshore bank accounts or international income, and much more. Tax fraud cases sometimes get mixed with other criminal charges, such as money laundering, embezzelment, business fraud and public corruption. A tax fraud attorney usually works together with financial advisers and represents clients in negotiations with taxing authorities.

1. A tax fraud attorney has to understand finances. You can take any major you want in college, but you should consider majoring in business or accounting. These will give you the educational background you will need in your future law career. A major in business also stands among the traditional educational backgrounds for entering law school.

2. Complete four years of undergraduate studies and get good grades. Law schools will look at your school records and will favor students with high GPAs. Earn your Bachelor’s degree and register for the LSAT.

3. The Law Schools Admission Test will test your abilities to have success as a law student. The test has five multiple-choice questions and a writing sample. Take it very seriously and enroll in a preparation course. This can prove expensive, but it will be worth your investement if it increases your score.

4. Submit all your application documents to the Law School Admission Council’s website. The organization will send in your applications to the law schools of your choice. Check out the curriculum of the law schools and find out which ones offer a good education for a future tax fraud attorney. Favor those law schools that give students the opportunity to do legal internship programs.

5. Get into law school and start working hard. Do all your homework and either study a lot on your own or join study groups. Your teachers will expect you to answer any question at any time during the courses, so prepare yourself well. Attaining a career as a lawyer takes a lot of work, so don’t lose sight of your goal.

6. Try to secure a part-time job or internship in the office of a tax fraud attorney. Complete your studies by getting some hands-on experience.

7. Earn your Juris Doctor degree.

8. Register for and pass the bar exam. If you studied a lot in school, you likely won’t have many problems passing the exam. However, you should take a few weeks to review state and federal law. Understand that each state has a different bar exam, so make sure you get the right study materials.

9. Get you license and launch your career as a tax fraud lawyer. Contact the American Bar Association (http://www.abanet.org/) and ask the organization to list you as a tax fraud attorney in its online database. Also check the site’s online career center resources to get advice about how to start off as a fresh-out-of-school lawyer.